Post-partum reproductive performance of goats as affected by once-a-day suckling and short-term kid removal

Abstract

Forty-four native does, pluriparous, on native pasture, were randomly assigned to three groups. Does in one group were suckled normally (AN). In the second group does were suckled once daily for 30 minutes (AC). while those in the third group had their kids removed for the first 96 hours of the mating period (RT). The mating period lasted for 60 days and began 50 days after the average kidding date. AC treatment significantly increased (P<0.05) the percentage of does showing estrus in the first 30 days of the mating period (66.6%), as compared to AN (21.4%) and RT (40.0%) treatments. At the end of the mating period, this percentage was also higher (P<0.05) for the AC groups (80.0%) than for the AN (35.7%) and RT (40.0%) groups. A higher percentage of pregnant does was also observed in the AC (P<0.05), for the first 30 days of the mating period (46.6%), as well as for the entire mating period (53.3%). AN and RT groups were similar (P>0.05), respectively 7.1% and 13.3%, for the first 30 days, and 14.3% and 13.3% for the entire period. Results indicate that once-a-day suckling may constitute an effective way to improve the post-partum reproductive performance of goats.